Thursday, August 31, 2006

The drama of the missing $25

I mentioned briefly that Peanut had found a good home. Right? I asked for a nominal fee ($25) to help ensure that the family that was taking him was willing in invest in him and care for him. (Free dogs are sometimes fodder for pit fights/cock fights/lab experiments/abuse - I won't encourage that by offering a dog for free) He went to a new home and they called him Tiberius. It's a huge name for a teeny dog but his brother was called Aries so I guess it runs in the family.

Anyhow - After he went home, I had the $25 in my hand when I went inside and I put it on the dining room table and forgot about it. Later when I went to look for it - it was gone. I ransacked that table, the floor, checked and doublechecked my pockets and my purse in case I put it somewhere and had forgotten that I did it. Nothing.

Now - money has been known to disappear before in this house - sometimes directly out of my purse. The culprit that time was firstborn so after quizzing the girls about it and recieving vehement denials I called Firstborn at school. I knew that once he took it there and spent it - that's it. I wanted to catch the money before that happened to it.

Firstborn was very upset with me to say the least - he swore up and down he didn't take it. So - the girls and Firstborn all denied it. I knew I didn't do anything to it, DH didn't touch it and yet the money was nowhere to be found. SOMEbody was lying.... but who?

I looked the girls in the eyes - Middlechild was able to meet my gaze just as levelly as I laid it on her and tell me flat out that she did not take the money. She's a good liar, but not that good, and I saw no guilt in her face. I was pretty sure she was innocent, but not 100% because when that girl wants to lie - she really can.

I grounded everyone for the day and informed them all that if the day was up and I still didn't have the money - then all bets were off for punishment. If I got an admittance of guilt and the money returned the punishment would be considerably lighter if it happened that day.

All day went by - no money. No confessions. Firstborn called me when he got home and quizzed me on where the money might possibly be. I explained where I put it, when and when I last saw it. He told me he would look for it for me. With that I was pretty sure it wasn't him either.

I was pretty sure who the guilty party was when I picked the girls up from their first violin lesson. But how to extract a confession and locate the money?

On the way home I again re-emphasized the grounding - that everyone was grounded until I got a confession and that I needed the money back that day. If I found out later who it was - and I WOULD find out, oh yes! You can hide from Mommy for a little while, but not forever. Never forever. ....if I found out who did it after that day the punishment would be dire. Middlechild has heard all this before when she was the guilty one, and did not get the hunted look in her eye - but youngest did. Hmmm - I've got her now.

I let the kids stew on it for the rest of the trip home and when we got into the house - Firstborn told me that he couldn't find the money - he looked everywhere. Middlechild complained loudly about not being able to watch her movie that she had planned on (and that Youngest also wanted to see). I explained to all three of them that until the money was returned nobody could watch TV or use the computer or go outside. They all had to stay inside and clean their rooms.

While I was discussing the finer points of the grounding with the two eldest, (yes you can use a computer for homework, no your homework does not involve a game, not even a spelling game, do I look stupid? Don't answer that, smart alek.) youngest disappeared into her bedroom. I noticed her leave but said nothing. Shortly after that she says to me that perhaps we should look on the floor.

The floor?Yeah, like the floor by the bedroomsBy the bedrooms?Yes, maybe it's on the floor in Firstborn's room.....Did you see it there?Yes! Yes she didLet's go look

And there was the money. neatly folded and laying in the middle of Firstborn's room. I knew that he would not have ransacked the house if it was that simple. He would have just fessed up or he would have had the money hidden better - Firstborn isn't that dumb. I asked her why she put it there. She got that sick feeling in her stomach - I could tell because her face changed. She denied everything. After consistent quizzing she resorted to the I don't knows. Finally - she confessed.

It was a first offense for Youngest and we had a nice chat aobut finders-keepers and how that may be what some people do but it's not how this family works and it's not very nice to boot. We agreed that telling the truth made her feel a lot better and that maybe if she finds something next time she will turn it in so the original owner can be located.

Sunday, August 27, 2006

my children are musical

middlechild begged for a week for us to let her take violin lessons. I remembered really wanting to learn the viola as a child (don't think I ever told anyone about that.... but that was probably fo rthe best as I didn't stick with things as a kid) and the more she begged the more I remembered. So... I told her that we would go down and talk to the people giving lessons and of course we got talked into it. Youngest is also taking violin lessons too. I can't believe I just signed contracts for $500 worth of musical instruments for kids that can't keep backpacks off the floor. What was I thinking?

Both kids know that they will have to stick with it for a year and that they will have to practice a lot. I am going to enforce that. We tried out the violins already. They are both probably horribly out of tune but I made them play a little bit. It was so fun! Lots easier than the dulcimer that I taught myself back when mom had that out in the dining room..... I really think I might still want to learn. The classes are free for anyone interested - and the teacher said that they had two parents sign up for lessons withtheir kids. I think I might embarass mine if I did that but it sure would be neat. I'll add it to the list of things I must do when I have time to do them.

Peanut has found a home. I am looking for a home for my cats. Coco is tentatively slated for a new home too - all the dogs have been ganging on my cats and she's the ringleader. I'm tired of peeling the two apart. It may take a while before I find a good home for the critters but I'm looking for a place to send them because when I come home the house is a disaster (part of that is the kdis but most of it is the animals tearing it up) and I've had it up to *here* with that. It's depressing. And there's nothing I can do about it either. That's what really makes it suck.

I hope all of you internets are doing well and are still around. I miss reading all your blogs and hyearing from you. I am a comment whore so if you would comment it would completely make my day.

Mom - if you are reading this - email me your phone number because the cell phone I had it stored on has a dead battery and I can't get it anymore.

Friday, August 18, 2006

trying to make a post from a different computer...

I am trying to post from a different machine because I suspect that it's just my machine that is screwed up and wow wouldn't you know it - there is nothing wrong when I post from here. There is no delay. It looks like I iwll be killing MS Word (the app I think is suspect) and re-installing it. Hopefully that will clear up the issue - I really do NOT want to do a wipe and re-install.

I've been spending a lot of time lately in a game called World of Warcraft. That's crack in and of itself. I always wondered why people would pay for the privelige of playing that game online - well now I know. It completely rocks my world lately. :) If you play and have a character on Stormrage - look me up - My name is Serissana and I'm horde. :) It would be cool to see a reader of this thing (if there are any left) online.

Some randomness from my world lately:I still love my job. Is that legal?

Middlechild has a project to do that requires building a log cabin out of sticks or somethign similar. She and I went to WalMart and hit the craft section and spent a small fortune on supplies. I reasoned that the leftovers would be good to have for the next child that has to do this. DH asked me why I did that and I just laughed. I mean - get two crafty people in the same store for a project ith tons of possibilities - what do YOU think is going to happen? I'm easily suckered in for craft supplies anyways... sheesh.

I stillhavent found a home for the male puppy left from Dixie's last litter. We've taken to calling him Peanut. I thinkhe will be sticking around for a while.

Youngest's teacher is really nice. She's new but already I like her better than the last one. Seems to be a bit more my type of person. (that and I suspect she has been warned about me LOL!) We will see how the year progresses.

Firstborn is now only maybe 2-3 inches shorter than I am. he is going to be a big kid. he's a good kid - but I worry about how I will manage discipline when I can't out-tall him and stare him down. He still is insisting on enliting inthe Army when he gets old enough. I have talked to some ex-army guys I work with and they assure me that he will have an opportunity to *not* go to a war zone. I worry about that too.

Well - I just wanted to try this out on DH's laptop - it works form here so I will try to post more often and maybe I can fix my computer. Hopefully my plan works. Wish me luck! I've missed posting.....

Friday, August 11, 2006

random observations

Why is an orange the only fruit we named a color after? Or is it a color we named a fruit after? Hummmmmm which came first, orange or the orange?

Ever notice that the amount of work to be done increases directly in relation to the proximity of 5pm friday evening? No? well not only does the amount of work increase, but so does the urgency in which it must be completed.

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me just came on as tonights evening movie.... Youngest ran up to me all excited and said "Mom! Mom! Shag me and spy on me is on!"

Monday, August 07, 2006

Here's another pic of the intracoastal. I'm using it as a means of making an enty to the blog - I hate taking 30 seconds to type 15 characters at the blogger site. Today is definitely a Monday. First day of school and everyone oversleeps - there's a mad dash to the bus (firstborn made his bus, the girls missed theirs) and then I get a phone call from Firstborn - he needs to be picked up because I completely forgot about his tetanus booster and they will not (WILL NOT) allow him to stay there just for today. So I get there and get him - they have to escort him to his classroom to get his things like he's a criminal or some sort of hooligan who will run around the hallways infecting everyone with his shotless self (I'm SO SORRY, firstborn) and today I am supposed to be back at work from a "vacation" where we did nothing and I just stayed home doing nothing and it wasn't really a vacation but oh well. So I have to extend it to take him down to the shot clinic - which is only open at 1pm today - and his school day ends at 2pm so he's going to miss the entire first day of school. Agqain, I am SO SORRY firstborn! Agh - I hate Mondays....

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

This is the best recent one I have of Middlechild. Firstborn is headlong into the greasys but the most recent one I have of him will follow this one - it's a shot of the intracoastal and he's walking toward it. When you get here next time I want to show you this place. He's about 3 inches shorter than I am if you can believe that. DH and I are discussing a family portrait in the coming couple of days - I'll post that if we do it. Here's Middlechild on her birthday Here's youngest in front of the poster for All American where she sang the Hukilau (or as she puts it - the hookee-lump) This is the best pic of Firstborn I have that's fairly recent - but it's from January. He tends to avoid the camera lately while the girls ham it up.